Madurese refugees observe Day of Sacrifice in fear

Madurese refugees observe Day of Sacrifice in fear

JAKARTA (JP): While millions of Indonesian Muslims celebrated
Idul Adha Islamic Day of Sacrifice peacefully on Monday, hundreds
of Madurese refugees observed it in fear following bloody ethnic
riots in Sampit, Central Kalimantan.

Tightly guarded by dozens of police officers, some 100
Madurese refugees conducted Idul Adha prayers solemnly albeit in
fear, in a field in front of Kota Waringin Timur Regency office,
Sampit, Central Kalimantan.

Antara reported that the officers were seen standing guard
near the area where hundreds of empty praying mats provided by
the regency administration had been placed in the field, which
was also being used as a shelter for 20,000 refugees.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, more than 2,000 poor people flocked to
Istiqlal grand mosque, many grabbing slices of meat prior to
official distribution.

The mosque's committee planned to give 1,500 coupons to the
poor in an effort to make the distribution orderly, but people
became impatient and many took meat without using the coupons.

Some women were seen trampled upon by others when trying to
fight for the free meat of cattle slaughtered for Idul Adha.

No serious injuries were reported but a door was broken by a
group of people in their efforts to carry meat into the mosque
where several state officials, including Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri were conducting prayers.

The number of livestock slaughtered during the day was
reportedly lower than normal amid fear of the disease anthrax
which has already killed a number of people this week.

The number of cows and goats slaughtered in Istiqlal mosque
decreased by almost 50 percent. Last year, the mosque committee
slaughtered 12 cows and 25 goats, while on Monday, only seven
cows and 10 goats were sacrificed.

Several other mosques also reported a decrease in the number
of livestock slaughtered during the holy day.

But an official at the city's husbandry agency, Hery Indiyanto
claimed his office have yet to find any cows or goats slaughtered
on Monday which were carriers of the disease.

In Batam island, Riau, an official of Batam animal quarantine
office, Suhartini, claimed that animals slaughtered there for
Idul Adha were free from anthrax.

"These animals have been declared free from anthrax and are
healthy enough to be consumed," Suhartini said, adding that 450
cows, 2 buffaloes and 672 goats were slaughtered on Monday.

The Idul Adha celebrations were concentrated in Central Batam
grand mosque with a sermon delivered by Syharin Harahap from the
North Sumatra State Islamic Institute.

But not all people were aware of anthrax, and many mosques'
committees in Bandung, West Java admitted they didn't know that
livestock should carry "health certificates".

An official at Bandung grand mosque Yahya Azlani admitted that
he didn't know that the animals should carry a "free-anthrax
label from the local husbandry office.

The disease was first reported in Hambalang village, Citeureup
district in Bogor, West Java in January this year which infected
some 20 residents and killed two of them.

The outbreak triggered fear that the disease could quickly
spread to other people particularly because it coincided with the
Idul Adha celebration where Muslims slaughter livestock so that
they can be distributed to the poor.

But so far no livestock has been identified as being infected
with anthrax.

Meanwhile, in Pekanbaru, Riau, thousands of people, including
Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas, conducted Idul Adha prayers in
front of the governor's office.

Preacher Tengku Dahril who led the praying, collapsed while
delivering his sermon. He admitted that he was tired after
jogging in the morning prior to praying. (25/26/jun)